


Inside Walls

by JodyNorman



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 21:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1998090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JodyNorman/pseuds/JodyNorman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taking a day off shouldn't be so bad, right?  I mean, in Colorado of all places!  However....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inside Walls

"This'll be great, Jim. You wait and see!"

Pike's Peak, Colorado. Jim hadn't been convinced that the drive would be worth it, no matter how exciting Blair considered it. But Blair was right when he pointed out that the chances of them getting pegged to transport an expedited criminal to Colorado again any time soon was next to nil, and it did seem as if they might as well take advantage of the sights. Pikes Peak was the most vaunted adventure around, and since it was right next to their destination of Colorado Springs, they agreed to do it.

Besides, Blair wanted it, and though Jim would've died before he told his partner, what Blair wanted, if Jim could provide it, Blair often got. Jim didn't know that Blair had long since figured that out, and used it without shame when needed.

That was Blair at the beginning of the trip, bubbling over with excitement as the road started to wind through pines and aspens and other deciduous trees, now just filling out with summer's glory. The undergrowth was lush, interspersed with bursts of flowers that Blair often pointed out, and when they paused at one of the pullouts to stretch their legs and wander into the forest, a variety of birdsong echoed around them. Even Jim felt his taut nerves begin to relax, and watching Blair's enthusiasm as he enjoyed the landscape he hid a smile.

Sometime around seven or eight thousand feet they found the lake. Manmade, but still beautiful, they paused to look out across the vast expanse, Jim enjoying the uses of his sentinel sight and hearing as he picked up on small animals at the far side of the water, and Blair snapping pictures energetically.

Then it was up, up, and still up. Trees began to thin, and the vistas beyond the mountain began to be visible. Blair gulped a little sometimes, but his enthusiasm for the views got the better of him quickly.

Eleven thousand feet they circled into the last (and only) park complex, made up of a small restaurant, a picnic area, and several parking lots. They stopped just long enough for the obligatory brake check, noting the long lines of cars waiting going the other direction.

"Man," Blair said in awe, glancing up at the signs, "this says that you have to have your brakes checked going down, too, and if they're too hot, you've got to wait."

Jim glanced over at him, catching the faint tinge of apprehension in his partner's voice. Heights were not Blair's strong point, and any slope that required brake checks going up _and_ down was nothing to take lightly. "You all right with this, Sandburg?"

"Sure," said Blair, leaning back with a smile. "Nothing to it, right? And think what the view must be at the top!"

Jim nodded, relieved. Trust Blair to find the excitement in it.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

 _Oh, man. I am not having fun anymore_. Blair tried not to look out the window at the edge of the dirt road as Jim nudged the car carefully around a corner, only inches separating him from the driver that suddenly swung into view in the inside lane. At twelve thousand feet they were above the treeline, and the dirt road was barely two lanes wide, nothing but empty space between its edge and the sheer drop on one side. No guard rail, no trees, and nothing to stop the growing surge of panic that iced Blair's spine and shortened his breathing.

He knew Jim was watching him, even though every time he managed to pry his gaze from the road and glance at his partner the detective's focus was seemingly on the road.

A car swerved around the corner ahead, streaking past them at what seemed to Blair an ungodly speed considering the road. Jim shook his head. "That's one idiot who's brain short," he commented, not taking his gaze from the road as they approached the curve.

"Ye-Yeah," said Blair, trying hard to sound nonchalant. The swift glance he got from Jim told him he hadn't succeeded, but his partner didn't say anything, and he spent a brief moment in gratitude. The last thing he needed right now was to have his fears thrown back into his face. But then, Jim had never done that, at least, not when it counted.

Blair swallowed, his throat muscles stiff and dry. He spared a thought to wish for something to drink, but if he had anything, he'd have to let go of the armrests, and he couldn't force himself to do that.

Jim slowed still more, the needle dropping from ten to five mph as he neared the next curve.

Blair could see that the curve put them on the inside, against the cliff wall, and he breathed a small sigh of relief, quickly gone as they rounded the turn, trying to hug the inside as much as possible. A pickup truck barreled down the inside slope, gaining speed as it went, and barely braking as it plunged past them. The vehicle's descent forced Jim to swerve slightly to avoid its path, and Blair's chest seized up as their car swung within a foot of the edge. Then they were on the inside and Blair reminded himself to breathe.

"You know," Jim said as he sped up by about two miles, ignoring the car that impatiently hung on his bumper, "maybe it'd be easier if you closed your eyes."

Blair shook his head, even that small movement causing a rush of panic. "No– Doesn't help. Just makes me… blind."

"Um," said Jim understandingly, loosing one hand on the wheel to squeeze Blair's arm where it rested rigidly on the armrest.

"Jim," Blair said through his teeth, "please put your hand back on the wheel, okay?"

Jim's lips twitched, but he obeyed without hesitation. "Sure, Sandburg. Sorry."

Blair could tell that, even if his partner wasn't scared like Blair himself, Jim wasn't relaxed, either. His shoulders were tense, his lips set, and his breathing shallow. All in all, Blair thought, _he doesn't look very happy to be driving this, either_.

He managed to let his eyes slide from the road to look out over the vista, and cringed. At twelve thousand five hundred feet the view might be beautiful, but it was also an overwhelming look straight down. _I don't get it_ , he thought wryly. _I've been kidnapped, tortured, drugged, shot at, beaten up, almost had my hand fried with a blowtorch, stuck on an elevator with a bomb, a falling elevator at that, almost run down by several cars... and I'm terrified of a mountain drive_.

He managed to take a deep breath as Jim started navigating yet another curve. _But it's not a matter of courage, Blair_ , he told himself ruefully. _It's a phobia, and they're not rational, and there's nothing you can do to change it. There's nothing you can do except get through it_.

He swallowed hard as they came out of the curve on the outside again, a fresh vista greeting his gaze before he yanked it back to the road. A sign announced the altitude as thirteen thousand feet, and below it, an arrow pointed to a large pull-out. "Last stop before top," ran the words below it.

Blair raised his gaze. Above him, straight across the mountain tundra, the road curved slightly around the pull-out, then curled up and into a sharp turn that then wound out of sight still higher. _Oh, God_.

"Well, Chief, this is it," Jim said, slowing down and glancing at him. "Last chance to get off before we take that," and he nodded at the sharp turn. "Want to stop?"

Blair fought for a breath in tight lungs. _I can't do that_ , his panic gibbered. _I can't, I can't_. "You can drop me off here and pick me up on the way back," he managed to say, consciously taking a breath so he wouldn't squeak.

"We'll stop," said Jim, a faint note of relief in his voice as he swung into the pull-out and braked to a halt.

Blair sat still, trying to adjust to the feeling of being in a non-moving car on solid ground. His jaw ached, and he consciously tried to relax it, then looked down at his hands, white-knuckled on the armrests. It took some effort, but he loosened the fingers from their death-grip and shook his hands out, resisting the brief surge of panic that thrilled through him as he relaxed. Taking a deep breath, he looked out over the scene, feeling the adrenalin begin to ebb slightly as his body registered the stillness.

A few feet ahead of him, the outside edge of the road sloped down by about six feet and the tundra leveled out for a good fifty, then dropped straight down. But that semi-level land allowed Blair to look out at the vista beyond and enjoy it, if somewhat shakily. He still felt no inclination to climb down to see the tundra, though. _Jungles_ , he thought fervently. _Give me a good, solid jungle any day_.

On the other side of the road, the land sloped up slightly, hilling until it ran into the cliff walls again. Fog hid some of the rocks, drifting upward occasionally. Blair took a deeper, easier breath, then fumbled for his seat belt as Jim unstrapped and opened his door. Climbing out, Blair blinked at the cold cut of the wind as it wrapped around him, and accepted the jacket that Jim offered him as his partner rounded the car, stopping to stare out over the vista. Down the mountain it was an early summer day, sunny and warm, and shorts were already common wear by most. But here it was still early spring, and clouds hung close and grey overhead. It had been sunny coming up, too.

Shrugging into the jacket, Blair stepped over to stand near Jim, finding his balance a little awkwardly. He let his gaze drift over the tundra, shifting it to look out across the space beyond. They were far too high to make out details of the landscape, but it was awesome to see so far. He realized that the white masses he could see down the cliff were actually clouds, and drew a breath of sudden wonder. "Wow," he said softly.

"Yeah, that about covers it," said Jim, turning to face the other side of the road. "How about over there?" he said, pointing to a couple of huge boulders that jutted out of the hill. "That's a good place to take pictures."

"Yeah," said Blair after another relaxing breath. "And it'd be a shame to get this far and not to take pictures."

Jim clapped him on the shoulder. "You got that right, Chief," he said, starting toward the road. "Come on."

Blair followed, slowly finding his balance as he paced toward the road. Checking both directions, he crossed it with caution, catching up with Jim as his partner started up the little hill toward the boulders. Looking up, Blair eyed the cliff walls with some awe. Steep and sheer, they stood so solidly he was reminded that the little spit of land they stood on was actually just an outcropping of earth above an immense space, and for a moment he felt all the fragility that he'd known in the car sweep back over him. He swallowed, forcing it down with all the determination he'd learned across the years when it came to dealing with his phobia, and tried to distract himself by glancing around at the surrounding landscape, seeking a good photo op. Eying the fog drifting through the break in the cliff walls, his eyes widened. _That's not fog_ , he realized. _That's a cloud!_

He swallowed as the reality hit him. Yes, it was a cloud, boiling up from how many thousands of feet below, drawn through the chimney-like space by the brisk wind that whipped around him. He was briefly very glad that he couldn't see through that break.

They snapped several pictures, including a view of the cloud and a photo of the road, then Jim glanced upward thoughtfully. "You know, I could've sworn I saw..."

He let the sentence trail off, but Blair had already seen the snowflakes, drifting lazily down. "I think we'd better leave now," said Jim, heading toward the car at a trot. "I don't want to get caught up here in a snowstorm."

Blair couldn't agree more.

As it happened, by the time they made it down to the brake checkpoint again, it had stopped, though the darkening clouds above promised more, whether rain or snow depended on altitude.

Their brakes needed cooling, so they took the requisite time to visit the small restaurant, sitting at the picnic tables outside and enjoying the warm weather as they fed the squirrels that squeaked demandingly from a nearby rock. The valley the checkpoint was situated in was beautiful with trees and undergrowth, and Blair was smiling again, enthusiastic about the hikes offered. "Someday," he said wistfully, "we'll have to come back and try some of them."

Jim nodded, watching his partner carefully. Blair's color was normal again, which was good. He'd been white when they'd climbed out at the pullout, which got him a good many sympathetic glances from fellow travelers. And he was talking again, which helped Jim to relax. If his energy level was a little lower, well, who could blame him? Fear took a lot out of you, and though Jim would never have admitted it, he hadn't enjoyed the drive past this point very much either. Well, at least now they'd both be okay with the trip back, dull though a plane flight might be. Dull would be nice for a change.

Blair came bouncing out of the building, hugging two t-shirts to his chest as he strode over to Jim, grinning. "I just had to get these, Jim," he said, laughing. "You'll love them!"

Jim hiked an eyebrow skeptically. "I will?"

"Sure!" Blair assured, turning the shirts toward him so he could read the caption blazoned on the backs. In very large black print, both shirts read: REAL MEN DON'T NEED GUARD RAILS

Jim couldn't help the snicker that grew into a full laugh, and in a moment Blair joined him, their mirth catching the squirrel on the rock in mid tail-flick. The squirrel chittered at them indignantly, then, with a last annoyed flick, jumped down and vanished.

 The End


End file.
